Devices have been developed to monitor different conditions of the human body, especially infants' bodies, to alert childminders or caretakers to changes in physical conditions of the infants, e.g. disruptions of movements of the infants' bodies which could indicate that the infants' breathing and/or their heartbeats may have been disrupted, changes in humidity which could indicate a wet diaper, changes in temperature which could indicate a fever or that an infant is too hot or cold, and the like.
The purposes of such devices could be to draw attention of a childminder or caretaker to conditions which may require attention and/or to prompt the infant to resume breathing, or the like. One of the purposes for which such monitoring devices are intended, is to detect and address apnoea which may result in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in infants.
A number of prior art monitoring devices are described by reference in International Patent Application No. PCT/ZA2004/000091, as well as an improved monitoring device which includes a clip for attaching the device to the waistband of an item of clothing and which has a pressure transducer located between the item of clothing and the skin, for monitoring breathing. However, in practice, the changes in pressure exerted on such a pressure transducer by movement of a breathing infant's body, are quite small since the position of the monitor is in a zone of low movement and pressure changes are subject to some uncontrollable factors such as diaper tightness and shrinking of the infant's body as it passes fluids and/or stool while sleeping. These factors make it difficult to detect breathing reliably over a normal period of monitoring.
The present invention seeks to provide improved practical and reliable means for monitoring movements of a human body, especially an infant's body, to monitor breathing, heartbeat, body temperature, and the like.